Jake Hardy, from Long Beach, won first place for throwing a paper airplane at the longest distance in Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. (Photo courtesy of Red Bull)

That’s what Long Beach resident Jake Hardy learned recently at Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals, an international paper-airplane contest, where he won the gold trophy for flying a paper airplane farther than anyone else.

“It’s just about having fun and throwing your heart out,” Hardy, 25, said. “I don’t have a technique and I don’t know too much about paper airplanes if I’m being honest — it’s just fun.”

Hardy represented the United States at the international competition in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. He earned the world victory after flying his folded piece of paper for nearly 186 feet — about as tall as the Leaning Tower of Pisa — inside a hangar in front of 173 other global finalists.

Jake Hardy, from Long Beach, won first place for throwing a paper airplane at the longest distance in Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. (Photo courtesy of Red Bull)

Jake Hardy, from Long Beach, won first place for throwing a paper airplane at the longest distance in Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. (Photo courtesy of Red Bull)

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Jake Hardy, from Long Beach, won first place for throwing a paper airplane at the longest distance in Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. (Photo courtesy of Red Bull)

Jake Hardy, from Long Beach, won first place for throwing a paper airplane at the longest distance in Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. (Photo courtesy of Red Bull)

Jake Hardy, from Long Beach, won first place for throwing a paper airplane at the longest distance in Red Bull’s Paper Wings World Finals in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, May 18. (Photo courtesy of Red Bull)

Distance was one of three categories; finalists also competed for airtime and aerobatics.

The event was hosted “Olympics style,” Hardy said. During the finals, the Cal State Long Beach and Wilson High School alum donned an American flag as a cape, in addition to other red, white and blue attire.

Each finalist representing their country had to win a national qualifying contest, with two attempts for each contestant, with the best one that counts. Only one victor from each country headed to the world finals.

At the finals, each participant was required to use a standard sheet of paper and that could only be modified by folding. Any ripping, cutting, gluing or stapling was prohibited.

It was an “absolutely” unexpected victory for Hardy, who admitted that he hardly practiced folding or throwing the paper planes. It was only a few years ago at Cal State Long Beach, when walking between classes, that he first tried flying for the first time.

But some of his competitors in Austria told Hardy they practiced two to three hours per day, he said.

“After I went to the qualifier last month and set the national record there,” Hardy said. “I didn’t throw until getting to Austria, except maybe five or six throws before (the final competition).”

Emily covers education and development for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. A native of Long Beach, Emily is an alumna of the Cal State Long Beach Journalism Department. Prior to joining the Press-Telegram, Emily was city editor of The Capistrano Dispatch in San Juan Capistrano, a contributing writer for the Orange County Register and the news editor for The Edge in Long Beach.

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